There is no reason why a reverend should have to declare his financial assets, says Bishop of Barbados Dr John Holder.
It is the view shared by the Archbishop of the West Indies and other clerics interviewed by telephone last Friday, after the launched Pastors Prayer Fellowship Network (PPFN) on Thursday.
At that launch, Senator Rev. Dr David Durant said some church leaders were “merchandising the Gospel” by requesting money for services which should be free and godly. And, in a code of conduct, pastors pledged to “be honest in all their financial dealings and act with openness and accountability in relation to any matters of church finances”.
Durant’s declaration sparked comment from the public that there were too many reverends driving fancy jeeps and cars and living in homes of grandeur, some of which were being bought out of the church coffers.
However, Archbishop Holder, responding to the question Do You Think Church Leaders Should Have To Declare Their Financial Assets?, made it clear that Anglican churches had councils that managed their financial resources.
“Each cheque is signed by two people, and every year there must be a report to the parishioners on how the money is spent . . . . Every year in October a budget session of Synod is held where the accounts for the administration of the Diocese are put before the Synod and they are audited. So in the majority of churches there is proper management of the finances,” he stressed.
Holder said that each church kept records of what the its ministers earned, so that there would hardly be need for any declaration of financial assets.
Reverend Dr Nigel Taylor, president of the Barbados Evangelical Association, which encompasses over 52 denominations and agencies, said for many ministers the church was not their main revenue earner.
“They are not many full-time ministers now where the ministry is a sole vocation. There are many bi-vocational pastors so the church is not their main revenue earner, it is not their main monthly salary.
“Many of the pastors though they do full service, they are still bi-vocational. So for a minister to declare his assets, it would be something that he wants to do. But it shouldn’t be a law because much of what he has acquired would be outside the parameters of the church,” Taylor stressed.
Mount Zion Missions Inc. head Rev. Dr Lucille Baird said ministers were employed like everyone else, and whereas those transacting millions of dollars were never called upon to declare their assets, neither should a pastor.
“What about realtors who are transacting millions of dollars? What about politicians, taximen, CEOs who are all earning salaries?
“Ministers are employed like everyone else. So if they are called upon to declare assets, then everyone else should,” she stated matter-of-factly.
Please see also today’s SUNDAY SUN Pages 14A-17A.
